The End of Duel Monsters
by Asj Johnson
Summary: What are everyone doing now that Atem has been gone for two years? See how Kaiba, Joey, Mai, and the others are coping. Very short chapters, alternate from GX series.
1. Kaiba Moves On With His Life

**This is a thought I had at about 2:30am on May 9th, 2005. I thought it would make a nice one-shot story. After getting a few requests for another chapter, I've decided to write several little stories instead.**

What truly happens after the Memories saga of Yu-Gi-Oh! - instead of GX. Two years after the end of Yu-Gi-Oh!.

* * *

**Kaiba Moves On With His Life**

Kaiba sits in his office at Kaiba Corp., looking at some of his once-valuable cards. He sighs.

"Big Brother, what's wrong?" Mokuba asks.

"Business is bad..." Kaiba says without looking up. "I had all the latest Duel Monsters game technology! I was on top - one of the world's top Duelists!..." Kaiba says, clenching his free hand into a fist. "And now Duel Monsters is yesterday's news...!" Kaiba says, carelessly scattering the ultra-rare cards onto the floor.

"But there's so many new games now. You can still be a world champion! Kaiba Corp. can design more software for today's games and get back on top!" Mokuba tells him.

"They're not the same... as Duel Monsters..." Kaiba says. "Duel Monsters was my expertise. I've been playing for eight years. And now it's nothing. It was a big part of my life, Mokuba... How can I just forget about it?..."

"C'mon, Seto... Another game will become just as important to you, you'll see..." Mokuba says.

"But it wasn't just another game..." Kaiba tells him, with a hint of sadness in his eyes. He picks up his deck from the desk. "I'm just not ready to move on yet." Kaiba says and stands up. "I need some time to think..." Kaiba explains, putting on a jacket. Mokuba watches as Kaiba walks out the door - not even bothering to pick up the rare cards that he tossed to the floor earlier.

Kaiba gets off of a plane in Egypt and goes to the museum where the only copy of the ancient tablet is kept. He doesn't truly know why he came; his heart guided him to this place. Ishizu lets him pass by her without a word. He enters the dimly lit room, his footsteps echoing as he walks toward the tablet. He stops in the center of the floor. Kaiba looks at the tablet for several minutes and then slides his duel disk onto his arm expertly, without even looking.

Atem's presence fills the room without explanation, but Kaiba knew he would be here. "I've come to duel you... one last time..." Kaiba says and activates his duel disk.

**aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa**

**I got some parts of this from the show - the part with Kaiba in his office came from the episode when Mokuba remembered Kaiba and himself at Kaiba Corp. and Kaiba left him saying that he doesn't know who he is anymore.**

**The idea also came from my own feelings about Yu-Gi-Oh! ending soon.**

**It was a daydream I had and I seem to be able to say more what I wanted to in a dream then in my true fanfiction...**


	2. Friendship

**Friendship**

Yugi and Joey are playing a board game in Domino Park. It's a nice day today; the sky's blue with a few white fluffy clouds, there's children playing in the grass, and there's the incoherent sound of many conversations in the background.

Joey moves his game piece apathetically. "Yugi... You ever miss Duel Monsters?" Joey asks.

"Well, I guess it _was_ a fun game," Yugi replies while moving his own piece.

"Yeah, it was cool. But I meant about all 'a the adventures we had. All the challenges we faced. We entered Duelist Kingdom..." Joey says; thinking about Pegasus laughing evilly, his Millennium Eye shimmering, "and Battle City," he states; thinking about Kaiba in his white leather jacket, his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his face. "We faced off against Dartz," Joey says and thinks about Yugi, him, and Kaiba summoning the legendary knights. "Then we also helped Atem get his memories back," he tells Yugi, thinking about their time in the memory world. "Now it's all over..."

"Uh, Joey...? It's your turn," Yugi says with an apologetic smile.

"Oh, yeah," Joey says, blushing slightly. He moves.

"Joey... you're wrong about all of the excitement being over..." Yugi tells him, concern about Joey's misconception clearly written on his face. "We could still have more adventures..."

"I felt like I really achieved somethin' out there duelin', Yuge," Joey starts again. "I've learned strategy..." him and Yugi facing off during Duelist Kingdom, "determination," him dueling Mai to save her soul although tired from his duel with Valon, "patience," him and Odion on top of Kaiba's blimp with the Swords of Revealing Light on the field, "gamesmanship..." him talking to Kaiba about having fun after their duel at the end of Battle City.

"I know what you mean, Joey. I think we've _all_ learned something from our adventures..." Yugi tells him; thinking about a time when he told Yami he needed to duel on his own and that Yami won't be there to protect him forever.

"You know... all of our adventures really strengthened our friendship. We've become so close," Tristan says, popping up from behind Joey. Tristan thinks about how everyone could feel Yugi during the duel against Pegasus.

"_Tristan!_?" Joey exclaims, almost knocking over his chair. "When'd _you_ get here..." Joey says with a sweat drop on his forehead.

"Yeah," Yugi says with a smile; completely ignoring Joey. "We've gotten through so much as a group. - But there will always be more adventures as long as we're together."


	3. The Usual

**The Usual**

Mai steps out of the shower with a pink towel wrapped tightly around her figure. Steam from the shower begins to fill the small bathroom. Sitting down, she glides her pink razor over a smooth slender leg.

Mai hardly ever spends more then two days out of a hotel room. She's been by herself for years and is always traveling. Her and Seto Kaiba might understand each other pretty well, them having several similarities, but neither has ever noticed the other. Although Mai is a loner and isn't interested in love, there _is_ one guy who has touched her heart. A younger man. He has played with her feelings for years. Or perhaps it's _her_ who has been playing with _him_. She still can't understand why his face appears on the fogged up mirror every time she finishes a shower.

After watching him smile at her through the glass, she steps out of the bathroom and slips on a skimpy purple outfit. She sits on the edge of the bed while sliding on her long, high-heeled purple boots. At the little counter under the mirror, she runs a brush quickly over her hair, knowing it won't make much of a difference if she brushes it or not. Then, looking closely into the long mirror, she carefully applies mascara and lipstick before dumping the whole counter of cosmetics into her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. As she walks down the stairs to check out of the hotel, two men whistle at her. She notices, liking the attention, and walks by them sexily, giving them a wink.

The Duel Monsters card game is over, but it doesn't mean much to Mai. She has the same routine as always; still entering and winning tournaments around the globe. So what if it isn't Duel Monsters? As she races down the highway in her convertible, wind whipping through her hair, she would admit to missing that influential card game a little. She became kind of close to some of her competitors. She wouldn't mind dueling Yugi again, or seeing Joey Wheeler one more time, but she's put all of that behind her two years ago. And she puts it out of her mind once again.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

How do you like that chapter? It took me long enough to get it up... I started that one before I started the last chapter. But I haven't really thought about the story until I got a review today. I guess I'll do Tea's story next, unless I get a different idea.


	4. Love

**Love**

_'I miss you, Atem...'_ Téa thinks as she brushes her short brown hair in front of the large mirror. She's sitting in a chair. Her books are in a shoulder bag, which is on the floor, resting against the chair. By the mirror, there are pictures of Yugi, Joey, and other friends, smiling as they're goofing off. With her big blue eyes, Téa longingly glances at one photograph of Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and herself, wishing for one of those carefree times with her friends. And then there's her crush. She sighs sadly, wishing she had a picture of him, too.

It's not that she isn't happy. She's in America, studying dance. It's been her dream...

_'That's it. - I'm going to make myself a picture of him and nothing's going to stop me,'_ she thinks determinedly. She puts the hairbrush down and gets a blank piece of paper and a pencil from the bag against her chair. And she begins to draw.

_'His eyes have a brave look... So serious... And mysterious,'_ she thinks as she draws his eyes. Her eyebrows furrow in concentration. _'And his jaw makes him look so strong and courageous. And he stands so proudly and determinedly...'_ When she's done with the rough sketch, she tapes it to a corner of the mirror, by the photographs of her other friends.

_'Oh! I forgot his cartouche!'_ She thinks, taking the paper back down and drawing the necklace around his neck. - The one she bought for him a little before he left. _'There. Now it's complete.'_ She tapes it back up and smiles at her crude drawing. _'You are my first and only true love, Atem... I will never love anyone as much as you...'_ she thinks. Her cell phone starts ringing and she hurries to get it out of her purse.

"This is Téa," She says. She then glances at her wristwatch. "Can you please call back later? My dance class starts in five minutes," she says into the phone before the person at the other end can say anything.

"Téa...?" the person asks.

"Yugi!" Téa says excitedly. "How'd you get this number?! Why are you calling?! - It must cost a bundle to call me from _Japan_!" Téa says worriedly.

"I thought it was worth it... to hear your voice..."

Téa blushes. Behind her, the taped picture of Yami falls off the mirror and lands on the floor.

**---**

**Hmm... It's been awhile, hasn't it? Welp, I finally got this chapter done. ('Welp' is one of my words... It's close to 'well'. It's kind'a like 'ack!' but 'ack!' means I'm surprised, usually in a bad way, like "ack! My internet messed up!"... Heh... Just a little about myself.) I worked on this chapter some on September 6th, when one of my teachers were sick and didn't have class, but I didn't get it done. I don't remember if I started it before that or not... On September 6th, I got down to the first time she put the picture on the mirror. Then I worked on it some one day during finals week, December 12th, I believe, when I got out early and didn't have anything else with me to work on. That's when I got the idea about the cartouche and the ending. So... Now I have it typed up and everything. Tell me what you guys think... By the way, my grades finally got posted and I got A's for all five of the classes I took.**

**I'm not sure what to do with the story after this chapter... I guess I could get back to Kaiba... But not the duel. That's, for one, private, and secondly, the outcome's not important. If you want to see a duel, then check out the Kaiba vs. Pegasus one in my "Finding One's Self" story. So... Anyhow, about what to do next... In the past I've thought about making a storyline or something after a few of these one-shots. Like, having the characters meet and have to save the world or something, but then recently I figured out that it would be a really bad idea, since this story is about the end of the show - the whole meaning behind chapter one - and starting a story would be very wrong to do, when this is about the ending of one. In other words, I'll have to do one-shots, with no connecting plot. But, I _could_ add to some of the characters I've already done - just not continue where I left off in the earlier chapter.**


End file.
